


Like You Want To Be Loved

by theloverneverleaves



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Human AU, Jace is a Single Dad, Kid Fic, M/M, Magnus and Alec are happily married with two kids, Simon is still a nerd, this fic will give you tooth rot, who teaches music to kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 14:02:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10572780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theloverneverleaves/pseuds/theloverneverleaves
Summary: Jace has only been dating Simon for two months, and his beloved daughter has met the man in question once, for no more than ten minutes.And yet she's already asking when the wedding is.He should probably let Magnus and Isabelle babysit less often.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Another week, another [#shaumondays](https://shadowhuntersaumondays.tumblr.com/) fic! This week was single parents week, so have my poor attempt at kid fic fluff including nervous responsible (ish) Jace and cute nerd Simon. 
> 
> As always, I'm at [isabellebiwoods](http://isabellebiwoods.tumblr.com/) if you want to talk!! <3

“When are you and Simon getting married?”

Jace nearly chokes on the coffee he’s taking a sip of, and does his best to mask it. His daughter is sitting across the table from him in the park, sipping on the milkshake he’d bought her from the coffee stand. It’s a really nice day outside - the sun is shining, the bees are buzzing and there was absolutely no reason for her to be asking questions like _that_.

He’s only been dating Simon for two months, for God’s sake. Two months.

“What makes you ask that, sweetie?” he asks in his best adult voice, something he’s had to train himself into since Paige arrived on his doorstep a few years ago. She’d only been three when the social worker had called him. It had been a hard phone call that had gone along the lines of Paige being in hospital after a car accident, her mother having just died in the Operating Theatre, and them being unable to find any family other than him.

He hadn’t seen Lacey in years, hadn’t even known he had a kid. But he’d checked Paige’s birth certificate himself, and there his name was, in black and white. Magnus, being the professional lawyer that he was, had suggested doing a DNA test. Jace had never gone through with it, though.

Paige was his daughter in every way that mattered. He didn’t need science to prove his ex-girlfriend wasn’t lying. It didn’t make the slightest bit of difference to him.

“Sara said that when people really like each other they get married, so they can be really happy together,” she said seriously. Sara was her friend from school. Jace resisted the urge to slam his head off of the table in front of him. “Plus I heard Auntie Izzy and Uncle Alec and Uncle Magnus talking about it.” Paige paused, taking a sip of her milkshake before looking up at him, her forehead furrowed in that same expression she wore when she was trying to do her homework. “What’s a wager?”

Oh dear lord. He was going to kill all three of them.

“It just means your Auntie and Uncles are trying to predict what’s going to happen in the future,” he says, not keen to teach his six year old the concept of gambling _quite_ yet. “It doesn’t mean we’re getting married.”

“Oh.” She looks sad. Jace almost wants to tell her that he’s going to marry Simon tomorrow, if it’ll cheer her up. It doesn’t work like that, though. He knows it too. “When’s he coming over for dinner?” she asks chirpily. She met Simon for the first time yesterday. _Yesterday_.

“Look, Paige, I… Simon and I are really close right now. But things might change,” Jace warns her quietly. Not that he _wants_ things to change, but he’s dated on and off since he’d gotten Paige. She’s gotten attached before. It always broke her heart when they left. It broke _his_ heart when it was because of her. Some people just couldn’t handle the kids part. As if Jace expected them to be parents or something.

He didn’t. Paige was his job. But frankly, if someone couldn’t love her as much as he did, they probably weren’t the right person anyway.

“Why would they change?” she asks, curious.

“I… I don’t know,” he admits honestly.

“Uncle Magnus and Uncle Alec are really happy. And Auntie Izzy said she hasn’t seen you this happy in _ages_ , and it’s because Simon makes you smile like Uncle Magnus makes Uncle Alec smile.”

He probably needed to stop letting Izzy babysit.

Before Jace had to formulate answer to that, Paige seemed to think of something, and perk up again. “Can we go to the bookstore?” she asks. Jace exhales softly, smiling at her.

“Sure, kiddo.”

She bounces happily off the chair, spinning around on the spot.

One thing was for sure, though - he really, _really_ needs to talk to Simon.

 

* * *

 

Simon’s just finishing up with his last lesson when Jace gets there. He lingers in the hallway, listening to the sound of slow, measured guitar strums spilling out from underneath the door. He always leaves his apartment door unlocked when he’s teaching, but Jace doesn’t want to interrupt. It’s not until the door opens to a kid no more than ten, Simon escorting him out, that Jace actually gets to see his boyfriend.

Simon’s grin would rival the intensity of the sun. The kid races off down the hall, and Jace chuckles a little, watching him go. “Another happy customer?” he teases gently.

“What? Oh, yeah, he’s just at that age where kissing grosses him out and he knows we’re together since you’ve been over before and-”

Jace laughs, stepping forward and leaning in to kiss his boyfriend, stilling the words on his lips and replacing them with a soft moan. Arms slip around waists, bodies and hearts tangled together, and Jace remembers all at once just how happy Simon makes him. As if he ever forgot. But standing there on Simon’s doorstep, in the middle of the hallway, he remembers, and thinks maybe his siblings aren’t _totally_ crazy.

Speaking of, he’s got a reason for being here. Which is definitely something he needs to focus on, because if past encounters are anything to go by, it will take about three minutes to move from ‘hello’ to ‘where’s the lube?’ if he lets it.

So Jace pulls away, Simon whines, and Jace chuckles, holding his boyfriend close, foreheads bumping together. “It’s good to see you,” Jace murmurs, and Simon nods.

“Yeah. Although I did see you yesterday. I didn’t realise you were going shopping,” Simon replies, and Jace just shrugs.

“I didn’t think I had to keep you up to date with _all_ my movements,” Jace replies, and Simon’s eyes get comically wide.

“No! God, no, of course not, I mean you can do whatever you want when we’re not together and that’s totally fine I just wasn’t expecting-”

Jace laughs, leaning in for a quick peck again. His favourite way to make Simon stop talking is to kiss him. So sue him.

“I know. I’m kidding.”

Simon breathes a sigh of relief before finally nodding, backing away and heading inside. Jace follows him, closing the door. Simon immediately heads to the kitchen, flipping on the switch for the coffee machine, letting it heat up gently. Simon busies himself with making the coffee, and Jace leans back against the countertop, watching.

It’s a view to admire, after all.

“I didn’t realise _all_ of your family was so good looking,” Simon comments idly, and Jace snorts. He’d been out shopping with Izzy, Alec, Magnus and the kids. Alec’s two were a little older than Paige, but no less adorable. Figures that Magnus would be unable to adopt a kid that looked anything less than model worthy.

“Well, there are some good things that run in the family,” Jace replies easily, and Simon smiles, turning around with a mug in hand, which he offers to Jace. Jace sips it, smiling. Simon knows how he takes his coffee down to the last detail. He’s never found that quite so charming before. But then, he finds everything about Simon charming.

“I didn’t realise your brother had adopted another kid,” Simon comments, and Jace frowns a little. He’s told Simon about Madzie and Oscar before. In fact, he’s told Simon about all of his family before - everyone except Paige, who Jace had never mentioned for fear of freaking Simon out and losing him before they even really got started. He’d meant to tell Simon ages ago, but then he’d gotten afraid of losing Simon anyway, and that just… sounded unbearable right now.

Then, he’d only seen Simon for about five minutes yesterday before he’d had to run off for another music lesson, so he guessed it wasn’t Simon’s fault for the misunderstanding.

“The little blonde girl?” Jace asks, forcing himself to be casual. Simon nods, smiling softly.

“She’s cute. And sharp,” Simon tells him.

“She’s mine,” Jace says, deciding not to beat about the bush. It’s Simon’s turn to almost choke on his coffee, and Jace bites back a smile at the memories of earlier with Paige. She’s camped out with Alec and Magnus just now. It wasn’t meant to be a babysitting night, but he’d enlightened Alec as to the conversation he’d intended to have with Simon, and he’d suddenly dropped all the questions and settled Paige in to watch The Incredibles with her cousins.

What he’d do without his siblings, Jace wasn’t really sure.

“That’s- Uhm- I’m mean, I’m sorry, I just, I had no idea,” Simon stammers out, and Jace shrugs, his eyes fixed on his coffee cup.

“I know. I didn’t want you to.”

Simon frowns. “Why?”

Jace sighs, sipping his coffee, collecting his thoughts for a moment. “I’ve… been in relationships before, where Paige kind of upset things. Had a couple of people who seemed really interested until I mentioned having to go home and pick her up from whoever was babysitting. I just… got to the point where I couldn’t face it anymore. So I stopped mentioning it until later.”

Simon still has a look of something between shock and fear on his face, and Jace feels his heart drop like a stone. Well, it was fun whilst it lasted, right? He puts the mug down on the kitchen counter, turning for the door. “It’s fine, I’ll just go, you don’t have to-”

“Wait, woah, woah, woah, where are you going?” Simon insisted, leaping forward and grabbing his arm, pulling him back. Jace paused, turning back towards the other man. He’s wearing his glasses - Jace always thinks it’s a cute look. Makes him look more nerdy than when he’s got his contacts in. Not that he minds his sexy, suave, glasses-less look either.

“I mean… It’s fine, if it’s too much. If you don’t want-”

“Of _course_ I still want you, dummy,” Simon cuts him off, shaking his head. “I’m just _surprised_ because you have a kid who’s an integral part of your life and you didn’t mention her the entire time!” Simon pauses, seeming to realise what he said. “Not that I don’t get it. Because I do. That… really sucks, that people would do that to you.”

Jace lets out a deep breath, and he can feel the spark of hope relighting in his chest. Too soon, too soon. It’s one thing for Simon to say he’s fine, quite another for him to demonstrate it properly.

“It’s for her sake as much as mine,” Jace says. “She’s met people before, and she gets attached really easily. She’s just… so sad when they leave. She’s too young to understand properly why they go.”

“How old is she?” Simon asks.

“Six.”

“Fun age,” he comments, nodding. Jace chuckles.

“Yeah. The best.” Jace pauses for a moment, wondering how deep to go. But then… if Simon says he’s okay, he’s okay. Jace can’t spend forever tempering what he says because of what ifs. Not if he wants this to last. “I really didn’t know what to do with a girl when I got her, but… it’s worked out. Alec and Izzy give me pointers. They’re great, really.”

“Is she adopted?”

“No, no. Her mom died a few years back. I didn’t know she had Paige. We… weren’t close,” Jace admitted. Simon doesn’t seem too phased by that either, from the way he shrugs idly.

“It happens,” he says. He knows Simon lost a parent young too. At least he can get it, on some level. “At least she has you. And a family that loves her.”

“Yeah. She does.”

Simon smiles, and Jace can’t help but feel a little warm inside. He might love Simon, but he loves Paige more. He knows who he’d give up, if Simon made him choose - but from the way he’s talking, he won’t have to. No one’s ever been so open with him about it all. Or so positive. Which was… a little sad, really, now he thought about it.

“She’s… pretty keen to see you again, actually. It’s why I came over. I wanted to run it by you in person,” Jace explained, and Simon seemed to light up once more, practically glowing.

“Really? I’d love that. Have you taught her any music? Can I bring a couple of ukeles? Or do you want to watch movies or something instead? Have you shown her The Lion King yet, because The Lion King is the _best_ movie, or maybe we should start with the classics, go back to Sleeping Beauty… I was probably playing piano at six, actually, have you thought about teaching her piano? Or we could play video games? Mario Kart - is Mario Kart appropriate for 6 year olds?”

Jace chuckles, listening to Simon rambling on. After a long moment, he leans in to kiss his boyfriend, smiling openly.

“Thank you,” Jace murmurs, and Simon chuckles, shaking his head a little.

“For what?”

“For being you,” Jace tells him.

His story might not have been perfect. His life might have been a little tragic, broken in places, complicated and confusing. But he’s always had his family…. And with any luck, his family might get to be a little bigger again. For the first time in a very long time, Jace actually has hope for that. He’s not like Alec, he’s never been prone to fairytales.

But for the first time in years, Jace finds himself wishing for one, in the arms of a man he adores.

A year later, it comes true.


End file.
